SARASOTA ART

Sarasota Lands the Largest Photography Exhibition in North America

It is called “The Fence” and it is displayed in 7 major cities in the U.S. and Canada! Brooklyn, Atlanta, Boston, Santa Fe, Durham, Calgary and Denver are the current host cities. There is only one display of “The Fence” per state. Next year, Los Angeles will be added. Sarasota is the first small city to host “The Fence” and comes at an appropriate time since we were recently ranked in the Top Five small cities in the country by Conde Nast Travel Magazine! Sarasota being an area of the arts is a perfect setting for this great “free art” to be displayed in the beautiful and scenic Nathan Benderson Park. “The Fence” will run through January 31, 2019.

Brought to the SRQ by popular local resident and event producer Barbara Strauss, “The Fence” is a feast for the eyes of art lovers, photographers and everyone to enjoy. Ms. Strauss first heard about it when a friend of hers told her about seeing it at the Brooklyn Bridge Park in New York. She thought it would be a great addition to Sarasota and decided to see if they would be willing to bring the display to a small city. She worked hard to bring it to Sarasota. Her idea became reality and now “The Fence” is here for several years. Each year, the photographs will change as new winners will be chosen by the “Jury”.

Hundreds of photographers submit their work to be judged by some of the world’s experts in photography! There are over 70 experts on the “Jury”, from gallery owners, museums, photography schools to major name dropping magazines and newspapers like Rolling Stone, New York Times, National Geographic and Washington Post are just a few that are involved with the project. There are both main winners and regional winners. There are prizes for grants and Leica camera equipment. More important are the thousands of people who will see your photography work across the country!

The hope is to expose people to free artwork to the public as well expose people to the beautiful Nathan Benderson Park who may not have been there yet. This makes a great day trip for school kids to learn about photography and art. Photographers especially will want to come and view the works. Maybe they will want to enter next year’s competition or just get ideas for their own work. In the upcoming months “The Fence" will act as a backdrop to events and performances that act in symmetry with the unique display. Our snowbirds will be returning soon and will enjoy something new to see and do. Another artistic endeavor added to the already colorful fabric of Sarasota!

Nathan Benderson Park is renowned for the World Rowing Championships held at the park but it is much more than that for the community of Sarasota. Over 600 acres of land and a 400 acre lake, it is dog friendly and a haven for bicyclists, runners and walking enthusiasts. Located near the UTC Mall, the scenic park that runs along 1-75 and uses the exit at University Parkway around the mall to enter the park. The park is open daily from 6am – 6pm. Don’t miss a chance to see “The Fence” located at the entrance to the park!